repo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈreː.poː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈrɛː.po]^[1]

Forms

rēpō (present infinitive rēpere, perfect active rēpsī, supine rēptum); third conjugation, no passive^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *rēpō (“to creep”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p- (“to creep”).^[2][1][3] Cognate with Lithuanian rėplióti (“to creep”), Latvian rãpt (“to creep”) and perhaps Old High German reba (“vine shoot”).^[2][4][3] Lewis and Short's comparison with Ancient Greek ἕρπω (hérpō, “to creep”) and serpō is outdated.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Ennius, whose cranes crawl through the beans.^[2][4] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to move with the body close to the ground, crawl, as Lucretius' creeping animal, and of people to go on hands and knees, as in Nepos.^[4] It also meant to proceed with difficulty, drag oneself, as Horace's three miles crawled after lunch, and to go stealthily, as his little fox creeping into the corn bin.^[4] Of things it meant to move slowly over a surface, as Lucretius' mist, and of plants to creep, spread.^[4] Döderlein says rēpere is to creep with short steps, while serpō is to glide without feet.^[7]

English reptile comes from its Late Latin derivative rēptilis “creeping”, in the late 14th century.^[8]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of cranes.^[4][6]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of creeping animals and mist.^[4][6]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of a slow journey.^[4][6]
• late 14th century – English reptile is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To crawl, creep.^[4]
2. To go on hands and knees.^[4]
3. To drag oneself; to go stealthily.^[4]
4. (of things) To spread slowly, (of plants) to creep.^[4]

Word family

• corrēpō
• dērēpō
• ērēpō
• intrōrēpō
• irrēpō
• obrēpō
• perrēpō
• prōrēpō
• rēptilis
• rēptō
• subrēpō
• fūnerēpus

Related words

• serpō
• English reptile

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com